


Nine Lives

by theobligatedklutz



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex and Luke and Reggie are dorks, Black Cat - Freeform, Cats, Comfort, Dorks, F/M, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I don't know how to I'm sorry, M/M, Mention of Death, Minor Angst, Reggie's fighting parents, Supernatural Elements, Teenagers, mention of bad omens, mention of cigarettes, mention of divorce, minor mentions of a panic attack, pls heed and read the tags, there is just something about Reggie and creating history with soft fur coloring changing cats, who may or may not be a not normal cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:26:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27012730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theobligatedklutz/pseuds/theobligatedklutz
Summary: Reggie falls in love with a cat ("We have history, okay!") and Alex, Luke and Julie get dragged into the chaos.
Relationships: Alex & Julia Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina & Ray Molina, Julie Molina & Reggie, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 12
Kudos: 159





	Nine Lives

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on this [post](https://secretly-of-course.tumblr.com/post/631896056954863616/okay-here-me-out-you-know-how-some-people-believe) by secretly-of-course. But I put a twist on it because I can't sleep at night without doing that.
> 
> Also: I do not own any of the characters or Julie and the Phantoms. (except Salem pls she is mine)

There was an alley behind The Orpheum that smelled strongly of half-smoked cigarettes and compost but in late July, both smells were endurable if only to get out of the stuffy crowds and the heat of the lights. Especially when it felt like your lungs were caving in and your stomach looped itself a maze of sick. That was the first and (what he thought was the) last time he saw the tabby cat. It sat on the black metal lid of the dumpster lining the wall and even in its surroundings, looked all around ethereal. Maybe Reggie thought so because there was a calmness to its green eyes that was hard to come by these days. He had initially left soundcheck in a panic, telling Luke, Alex and Bobby that he needed some air. And when the panic attack subsided, he leaned against the brick wall just staring at the few stars that dared twinkle against the tyranny of the city lights. 

And the cat purred its soft song and pulled his attention like a sailor to a siren.

And there were no other sounds, not of his parents spitting profanities at each other, not a zing of a guitar or a beat of a drum. Just silence and an orange cat. He didn't know how but staring enough told him her name was Salem and she had come to free him of the reality of his cruel world. 

But he had truly just made that up. 

And later that night, after his final sound check, in a lighter mood because of the tabby but also because Luke and Alex's endearing excitement was contagious, Reggie thought maybe the cat did come to free him. Because he ate a hot dog from the back of a car and then he died. Shoved far away from his screaming parents and a life he once knew and thrown into a dense black room with the only two people he truly called his family.

25 years later and it never occurred to him that cats were some kind of supernatural if you squinted hard enough. 

But then he didn't really have to squint because he was a 25 years too late wandering 17-year-old ghost. And because a black cat slithered into his view one afternoon of absolute nonsensical ghost chaos. A formless black thing looped around his legs, pawing her sharp claws against his ankles. 

And then it occurred to him when green eyes looked up at him, he could feel this cat. This cat could _feel_ him. And _see him_. 

Then, he really looked and _Oh My God_. There was amusement there in those wised up greens, an old companionship. _He knew this cat._

"Dude!" Luke seemed starstruck, bringing a hand down to press against the cat's head.

"Aren't black cats like bad omens or something?" Alex twisted an arm around Luke's, pulling him back from the thing latching itself to Reggie's legs.

Bad omens. _Huh_. 

"It's Salem." Reggie sounded hysterical, even to his own ears and when he looked up at Alex and Luke, he knew that they could see the absolute mental breakdown he was on the brink of having.

"It's the cat that killed us." 

He said it so nonchalantly that Alex thought perhaps a trip to the hospital was in their very near future. Or at least therapy. But they were ghosts and ghosts couldn't really lose their minds, could they?

"Reg, that was 25 years ago. Please stop with the alley cat. We ate bad hot dogs, remember?" Luke reached for the cat a second time and Alex shoved him back again, glaring at him to stay put.

"Get rid of it, Reggie. It's a bad omen."

"Stop saying that. Salem has feelings." 

"And what is with the name? Did it tell you it's name? Come on, Reg." Alex continued on, simultaneously rolling and narrowing his eyes at the bundle of furry soot on the ground. 

"I just...knew _her_ name. I don’t know how to explain it...I just _knew_ it." 

"That's not...um okay." There was that infamous condescending okay and Reggie, just to cause Alex the utmost distress, grabbed Salem under the arms, lifting her up, shoving her towards his face and basking in the way Alex stepped back and shielded himself behind Luke. 

Luke used the opportunity to press a finger against her ear. "I can _feel_ her."

"It's been established, you idiot." Alex gritted out from behind him and Luke took the cat from Reggie next, turning towards Alex and Alex almost shrieked in his haste to get away, poofing off at last but not before he brought his middle finger up at the both of them.

  
  
  
  


Reggie had heard stories about a cat having nine lives but 25 years and a fur color change was a little far fetched even to him and he was, they were, as weird as they got...right?

Alex's insufferable nagging about the bad omen cat was worth it too when Julie came trudging into the garage, freshly showered and dressed in an oversized sweater. She took one look at the cat and told Reggie to get rid of it.

"Julie, please. Salem and I have history. Can't we keep her?"

And Julie truly never believed that she allowed a ghost manboy to explain to her that this cat was both a killer and Reggie's saving grace. (How in '95, he wished he could get away from his life, from his one-blow-up-away-from-a-divorce parents, and how the cat, oh so graciously, fulfilled his lone wish).

"But she killed you?" 

"Even good outcomes have consequences." 

"Reggie, you sound insane."

"If you got us killed by a black fucking cat, so help me God–."

"Actually, Salem was orange then. Weird huh?"

Luke was the one who held Alex back from throttling Reggie. Luke didn't know what happened to ghosts who got choked to death because they got their best friends killed by a cat curse. Could they die again?

Julie wished she never immersed herself in their chaos but that was a lie. 

She kind of wished it was the truth because she now had to babysit three dumb ghost puppies and their pet cat and keep it all from her dad. She was the one who needed nine lives, the cat would be fine without them she was sure. But the look of unadulterated joy on Reggie's face when she said yes was also something she couldn't fathom living without. So Reggie and his black cat it was.

****

One winter, Salem shed like no cat ever should and in place of the black fur grew a magnificent orange. Like a butterfly leaving her chrysalis. Reggie smiled his goofy little smile because that was the tabby that saved him, looking gold and ethereal just like she did that one night back in July. 

On cold nights, Reggie felt safe surrounded by soft warm fur. He would pull Salem closer at night and she'd purr softly in his ears to bring comfort back to bed. Salem, it seemed, loved listening to Reggie play his bass and he'd spend hours playing for her. Luke and Alex teased him about being in love with a cat. And so what if he was? _"You can't make her your girlfriend, dumbass." "Who said I need one? I'm a ghost." "Tell that to Luke."_

Somewhere along the way, Salem wormed her way under Alex's skin. She took to sitting on his lap on lazy afternoons as he fiddled with his drumsticks or read a book. Alex would subconsciously run his fingers over her back and she'd fall asleep. When Reggie or Luke caught him, he'd hiss "she's a demon, she forced me" before promptly combing the cascade of fur on her head when they looked away. 

She took quite a liking to Willie and often hitched a ride with Alex to go see him. Alex would complain about how she was ruining her chances of getting Willie to go out with him but Julie would laugh and tell him she thought Salem was increasing his chances. Willie was obsessed with both Salem and Alex, bring both to their 'hangouts' and you had a happy boyfriend ( _“He’s not my boyfriend yet!” “Yeah right.”_ ) on your hands.

She lounged a great deal on Luke's song book just to irritate him. He knew that she knew that it irritated him and that's why he obnoxiously shook her off of his new song lyrics –about finding an impossible sort of love with a girl with wild curls and warm brown eyes– every single time just to annoy her back but Salem would just jump onto his shoulder instead, pawing softly at Luke's cheek and all exasperation would vanish like it was never there to begin with.

And sometimes in the mornings, Julie found Salem sleeping on the foot of her bed, all stretched out and lazy and Carlos would help Julie sneak a bowl of milk up into her room and play with her paws and smile at the little tabby's antics. And Julie laughed at how Salem thought she owned the place but really they all knew she owned too much of their hearts. 

A cursed cat capable of creating infinite love amongst three ghosts and a girl.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is but pls don't at me about how i write my cats. Find me on tumblr at [theobligatedklutz](https://theobligatedklutz.tumblr.com)


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